LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Michelson Found Animals Foundation, Inc. announced today results of the third annual “Saving Pets Challenge”, a 32-day fundraiser which involved nearly 600 animal welfare organizations across the country, raised nearly $1.3 million dollars for shelter animals. While the Saving Pets Challenge had pet charities nationwide working together for the ultimate goal of saving pets, they were each rallying their individual communities to raise money for their specific efforts in local communities. The grand prize winner of the Saving Pets Challenge came from Houston, Texas; the fourth largest city in the country. Rescued Pets Movement Inc. in Houston rallied their community to raise more than $146,000 to save 2,665 death-row dogs and cats, earning them the number one position in this year’s challenge and an additional $60,100 in a cash grant from the Michelson Found Animals Foundation.
“We first want to applaud all of the dedicated animal welfare organizations that entered this year’s challenge and to thank them for all they do day in and day out to help pets in their communities,” said Dr. Gary Michelson, Founder of Found Animals. “We’re especially proud to recognize all of our fundraisers and to award additional cash grants to this year’s winners, to further recognize their efforts and assist their cause.”
The top five groups below raised the most money during the 2016 Saving Pets Challenge earning them additional cash grants from the Michelson Found Animals Foundation. Including the weekly challenge prizes, all the organizations involved competed for more than $150,000 in grants.
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First Place: Rescued Pet Movement – Houston, TX
- $60,100 cash grant for raising $146,921
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Second Place: Friends to the Forlorn Pitbull Rescue – Dallas, GA
- $35,300 cash grant for raising $135,078
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Third Place: Fort Collins Cat Rescue & Spay/Neuter Clinic
- Fort Collins, CO
- $23,050 cash grant for raising $96,597
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Fourth Place: Door County Humane Society - Sturgeon Bay, WI
- $10,100 cash grant for raising $86,158
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Fifth Place: Cat Town - Oakland, CA
- $5,325 cash grant for raising $56,875
“It was so exciting to see the many ways in which our participating organizations went above and beyond in terms of their fundraising efforts,” said Aimee Gilbreath, Found Animals Executive Director. “The ideas were limitless - from a Cat Town staffer who hiked 60 miles from San Jose to Oakland to raise awareness of their effort, to a volunteer from New Mexico’s Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society who staged a dog kennel live-in for two days to garner publicity.”
This year’s Challenge began Tuesday, July 5th at 12:00pm EST, and ended Thursday, August 4th at 1:59:59pm EST and was again hosted through popular fundraising platform, CrowdRise.
The inaugural Michelson Found Animals Saving Pets Challenge Fundraiser began in 2014 and raised more than $1 million in 2014 during its fundraising competition, and reached more than 175 humane societies, municipal sheltering agencies, spay/neuter clinics and rescue organizations.
To view the full results of the 2016 Saving Pets Challenge, visit www.crowdrise.com/SavingPetsChallenge. For more information on the Michelson Found Animals Foundation, please visit www.FoundAnimals.org.
About Michelson Found Animals Foundation
The Michelson Found Animals Foundation is a non-profit supporting pet-owners and animal welfare organizations; our mission is Saving Pets, Enriching Lives. After celebrating a decade of service to animals, we continue to grow as we find new and innovative ways to help pets and the people who care for them. In addition to creating the first free microchip registry, we now have our own adoption centers, research next generation spay/neuter technology, and sell affordable high quality products—all in the service of pets. Our unique perspective into all aspects of animal welfare allows us to better support pet owners and pet professionals alike. All of this is possible thanks to generous funding from Dr. Gary Michelson and Alya Michelson.
See how we’re using our brains and expertise to obtain real, sustainable, results at FoundAnimals.org. To learn more about our free microchip registry, and the many innovative tools that are making it easier to connect lost pets to their people, check out found.org. Our spay/neuter technology research is at michelsonprizeandgrants.org. And to find out more about our Adopt & Shop locations, where all profits go back to caring for our adoptable pets, take a look at adoptandshop.org.
About CrowdRise
CrowdRise is the world’s largest and fastest growing online platform dedicated exclusively to charitable fundraising. CrowdRise is used by millions of individuals, tens of thousands of charities, hundreds of companies and many of the most famous artists and athletes in the world to creatively leverage their resources and networks to unlock the power of the crowd to support positive social missions and create massive impact.
Founded by actor Edward Norton, film producer Shauna Robertson and Robert and Jeffrey Wolfe, CrowdRise has conceived, implemented and powered campaigns that have raised hundreds of millions dollars to date. For more information visit www.CrowdRise.com.
